PA Spokesman: Settlers Are not Normal People

Jewish settlers “are not normal people,” says a PA spokesman, and there is no need to apologize for the murder of a Jew near Shechem.

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Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, 24/04/11 13:03 | updated: 13:02

Beit El children

Israel news photo: Ben Bresky

Jewish settlers in Israel “are not normal people” and therefore there is no need to apologize for the murder of a Jew who prayed at Kever Yosef (Joseph’s Tomb) Sunday morning, according to Palestinian Authority security forces’ spokesman General Adnan Damiri.

He also claimed the victims of Kever Yosef attack may have been armed.

In an unusually provocative interview with Voice of Israel government radio, he said he could not confirm or deny eyewitness reports that Palestinian Authority policemen shot at five Jews who were on their way home from praying at Kever Yosef (Joseph’s Tomb) early Sunday morning.

“We have not said they were or were not” PA policemen, Damiri said, contradicting all reports in both Arab and Israeli media, where the attackers were identified as PA policemen.

Asked if the PA will apologize for the murder of Ben Yosef Livnat, he answered, “You know that settlers are not normal people. Every day, they shoot at innocent Arabs.” This, of course, is a blatant untruth, as the news anchor realized.

News anchor Estie Peres, who may agree with the usual Voice of Israel’s criticism of Jewish presence in most of Judea and Samaria, responded that she could not agree with his statement that “settlers are not normal” and asked Damiri if there was justification in shooting at people who had been praying and were on their way home.

“Maybe they were armed,” Damiri responded.

Further questioned if the PA will "make peace with settlers,” he declared, “There is no room in the Palestinian Authority for settlers.”

The Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency turned the story around and told its readers that “dozens of armed ultra-Orthodox settlers entered the Joseph’s Tomb site…, pulled out their own guns and pointed them toward Palestinian officers. “ This is the same agency that claimed that the Fogel family of Itamar were killed by a Thai worker, well knowing that the town of Itamar allows employment of Jewish workers only.

There was no indication from Israeli authorities that the worshippers were armed.